Kaede's Redemption
by SuperSaiyanDiclonius
Summary: Saved from damnation by a generous deity, Kaede and her friend Aiko Takada now find themselves in the magical world of Remnant, when the villains that seek Remnant's destruction come forth, will the diclonius queen remain neutral, or defend her new home with old habits?
1. A new world and a new life

And here it is people, as requested by MyFunVideos, the sequel to An Author's Rampage... Kaede's Redemption.

 ** _Chapter 1: A New World and A New Life_**

Reality shifted around the young girls as they were thrown from their horrid reality into a more fair dimension where Kaede's powers weren't so out of the ordinary.

As they began to materialize, they received knowledge of this new world, nothing unknown to the public, simply the existence of the Faunus, Aura, the Grimm, and the name of their new home: Remnant.

The girls landed on their feet, slightly surveying their new surroundings before staring at each other, any thoughts of where in Remnant they were or the likelihood of a Grimm attack could find no room in the girls' minds as the weight of the last hour crushed them mercilessly.

A group of paramilitary witch-hunters tried to abduct Kaede for being a mutant homosapien called a diclonius, Aiko was almost killed for being mistaken as a diclonius because she was wearing Kaede's hat, and the only reason none of this came to pass was because a God-like being who called himself the Super Saiyan Diclonius killed their attackers and sent them to another dimension full of magic, monsters, and medieval weapons that turn into guns that shoot people with dust.

Shock, confusion, and relief that each other was all right caused the preteens to tearfully hug each other for a long while.

After their embrace ended, the two girls saw that they were in a forest, a dirt road had been carved into the forest floor by regular traffic and they decided to follow it, worst case scenario: the Grimm meet anime's most reluctant Dark Messiah.

The road was long and quiet, the travelers were young and board, a conversation was inevitable.

"Sooo, what's your take on all of this?" Opened Aiko.

"...Well...I'm definitely glad to be in a world where people who have horns aren't _too_ unusual, but I still think we should try to find a Faunus village over a human one." Kaede replied.

"Well, I think a mixed village would be the best choice, where humans and Faunus live together, but I was honestly hoping that we could start with this whole "diclonius" thing." Aiko countered.

"Wu- what's there to talk about?" Kaede played dumb hoping that her friend would drop it.

"Well, I know that Kurama was crazy after what He said he did to his own family, but what if there was a reason they were overreacting, I mean, I know you're not a monster, but.." Aiko hesitated when she saw the look on Kaede and realized that she had touched a nerve.

"But what." Kaede demanded, seeking an explanation to why her friend, her only friend, would sound like she condoned what that monster was doing to her species, while a long silent voice began to whisper inside her head once again.

 _But you_ are _a monster to them, you don't belong beside these apes, you belong above them._

"Well, there was a string of unsolved murders a long time ago...someone killed a bunch of families in their homes and lived in their houses with the bodies and.. the killings stopped after the killer massacred a bunch of people at a festival, the only survivor was a poor boy..they...they found him covered head to toe in his sister's blood, they never found the guy who did it and...I think it mi-" Aiko had kept her eyes down the whole time, uncomfortable with the memory of the news broadcasts and how they described the gruesome killings, but now that she looked at her friend, Kaede was completely horrified.

"Kaede?" Aiko asked, nervously approaching the frightened diclonius.

"It's okay, even if a diclonius _was_ responsible, I know _you_ would never do such a thing, you're not a mons-" As Aiko reached out a comforting hand, Kaede turned and fled into the woods.

"KAEDE!!"

Kaede ran and didn't stop for anything, if a branch or even a whole tree blocked her path, it was torn away by her vectors. _Why? why did she know? WHY!?_

"KAEDE! WAIT! I'M SORRY!!!" Aiko called out desperately as she ran after her friend, completely confused by her reaction, Aiko knew it wasn't her, it couldn't have been.

"KAEDE PLE-KYAAAA!!" Kaede came to a screeching halt and turned to the sounds of Aiko's scream and the sight that greeted her made her blood run cold.

Aiko had barely dodged the first attack by back pedaling, but now she was separated from Kaede by what could only be described as a monster.

She knew that it was a Grimm but she only knew the vaguest knowledge of the creatures, the one in front of her looked like a werewolf of some kind, that was all she knew.

The Grimm growled and prepared to lunge at her a second time, but as it pounced at Aiko, it exploded into a shower of gore.

Aiko threw her hands up so that she wouldn't be blinded by the carnage, when she lowered her arms, Kaede was there.

There was no time to talk about it, snarls and growls revealed a pack of the monsters had surrounded them.

Kaede pulled Aiko closer behind her and Aiko could feel something wrap around her, pulsating rapidly.

Aiko and Kaede looked from one monster to the other, waiting for the first attack.

The attack would never come, for as suddenly as the Grimm appeared, they were all of a sudden encased in ice that just as suddenly shattered into billions of pieces.

The girls were pulled from their shock by the sound of footsteps, footsteps belonging to a woman with a bright blue dress with a white trim and carrying a similarly colored staff.

She had pale white skin and almost white blond hair and piercing blue eyes that actually radiated warmth as she looked at the girls.

Kaede remained defensive, solely for the fact that the woman was human, though she was hopeful after seeing this woman's own strange power.

"You needn't fear me Kaede, I am here to help you." The woman said, shocking the girls.

"You, you know my name, how?" Kaede asked.

"Because He created me." The Woman said, and the girls immediately knew who she was talking about.

"The Super Saiyan Diclonius sent you!?" Aiko exclaimed.

"I will not be taking part in the main story when the ball gets rolling, but yes, I and one other were created... to be your parents." The woman said, which sent Kaede's mind reeling.

 _Parents... he saved me from becoming slaughter incarnate, brought me to a new world where I could be accepted... and gave me PARENTS!?_

"So, shall I show you home?" The woman, their mother, asked them.

 ** _Author's Note:_** I am not going to keep the "I am God" thing going on much longer, but rather than dropping these two in Beacon with lore knowledge up to Vol. 6

,I figured I'd let them learn of this world from a more practical source and then time skip them to around Yang's age (their close to Ruby's age at this point, if not younger) with vol. 4 knowledge.

Also, Aiko's knowledge of Kaede's past will definitely come up later, but not immediately.

And yes, their mother is the Winter maiden who we're probably not gonna see in canon this volume.


	2. A Calm Before The Storm

**_Chapter 2: A Calm Before The Storm_**

Kaede and Aiko followed their new adoptive mother, who introduced herself as Ingrid, through the woods until they came upon a wooden shack, it was small, but welcoming.

"Well, here we are, it's roomier than it looks." Ingrid said with the same warm smile.

"It's home, that's what matters." Kaede said, secretly beginning to believe that they hadn't been saved and instead had died and gone to heaven, this was just too good to be true.

As if she had jinxed it, the woods to their right parted way for a newcomer, a man with pale skin, a scruffy face of pitch black hair that flowed unkept as far as her own, less tangled, mane.

More terrifying than his face were his clothes, pitch black armor that was serrated anywhere possible, and on his hip was a pitch black sword handle in an equally dark scabbard.

Kaede began to uncoil her vectors when Ingrid called out to him. "Ah, there you are Thogrom, our daughters have arrived."

The dark armored man, Thogrom, turned to them and smiled, which on his face looked _very_ out of place. "Yes, He contacted me and told me that it was time."

Kaede blinked, _this_ was their father?

Kaede then realized that the man had approached her.

She eyed him cautiously as he knelt down to speak at eye level to her. "You are not the only one who has rejected a villainous destiny little one, I am here to show you how to be dark, but also good."

Kaede took in the message, still weary of him, as she was of everyone.

 _Within their home_

The two were sat down and given food, rabbit stew with wild grown vegetables, and a warm bath and a good night's sleep, in the morning, explanations were given.

"What do you know so far, so that we know where to start explaining." Ingrid inquired.

The girls looked at each other and then Aiko broke the ice. "Well, when He sent us here, He gave us the knowledge of the Grimm, but He only explained that they were soulless monsters whose sole purpose was to destroy life of any kind, He also showed us that the humans of this world fought the Grimm with something called Dust which is magic...well...dust." Aiko paused for a moment and Kaede continued.

"He also showed us that there is another race of sentient creatures, called Faunus, who look mostly human, but have animal ears, tails, claws... and horns, and humans and Faunus alike can have an Aura, which is a projection of their own life energy that acts like a forcefield of sorts, and they can have a Semblance, which is a kind of superpower that is unique between wielders, I think that these are the reasons that He sent us here." Kaede concluded.

"Those are the basics, but they're far from the whole story." Began Thogrom.

"The world of Remnant was created by two gods, the god of light, who created the earth, the ocean, and the animals, and the god of darkness, who created diseases, disasters, and the Grimm." Thogrom paused and Ingrid continued.

"Then the two gods created humanity together, and gave them the gifts of Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice." Ingrid explained.

"And among them are some more powerful than others, such as the Maidens, four women who wield true magic based on the four seasons, among them, I am the Winter Maiden." Ingrid said, summoning a small snowman in the palm of her hand.

"However, there is another who wields the power to control the Grimm and seeks to rule, or even destroy Remnant, her name is Salem." Thogrom concluded, making the girls a bit nervous.

"So, this Salem woman, can she be stopped?" Aiko asked.

"That has yet to be determined, but there is a contender, if you're willing to leave it up to others." Ingrid stated.

Aiko looked to Kaede with pleading eyes, and Kaede returned the gaze. "Aiko..I-I don't wanna fight, I never have, I just want to live in peace."

"I know you don't want to, but what if Salem wins, what if we're sent on the run again like last time, and it could've been avoided if we just helped drive her back?" Aiko argued, not wanting to lose another home.

"There is an alternative." Thogrom voiced.

"Each of the four ruling Kingdoms has academies for warriors who fight against the Grimm, only the most elite fight, or even know about Salem, the rest guard villages and travelers, and it's a well paying job, the two of you could become huntresses, but not elites, keep to the easier tasks and let the heroes of this story cut the head off the snake, or if they fail, take their places before the damage gets too great." Thogrom proposed.

"But of course, not immediately, why you're not even old enough to enroll in an Academy for huntresses, even the hero of this story hasn't enrolled yet." Added Ingrid.

Again, Aiko looked to Kaede, this time with conviction. "Well that settles it, when we're old enough, we can be professional huntresses and keep an eye on Salem from the sidelines only intervening if we need to, I'm going to enroll... I'll understand if don't want to come with me."

Kaede didn't reply for the longest time "...I'll...I'll think about it..." she said unconvincingly.

 ** _Author's Note:_** Okay, this is out of the way.

Next chapter will a series of time skips explaining the necessary parts of their training for three years, Kaede and Aiko will then be the same age as Lucy and will enroll into Beacon Academy.

They will have OC teammates, one will be based off a Disney character and the other will be a combination of two American warrior types, feel free to guess which is which and their team name (KA--).

To explain the parents' names, Ingrid is the name of the Snow Queen from Once Upon A Time and Thogrom is a mirror spelling for Morgoth, as Ingrid and Thogrom are villain archetypes made caring parents, The Ice Queen and The Dark Lord.

Tell me what you think in the comments below, and I'll see you next time.


	3. And By My Shoulder, Protect Thee

**_Chapter 3: And By My Shoulder Protect Thee_**

 _4 Days Later_

Kaede looked out the window, watching Aiko train with Thogrom with wooden staves, she was soaking up the basics like a sponge.

Kaede often wondered where this drive to help people came from, it didn't make sense to her, because with the exception of the Super Saiyan Diclonius, no one had tried to help them when they were suffering, why should she help people who wouldn't help her, and why would she want to?

 _3 Days Later_

Unable to bare it any longer, Kaede voiced her confusion, and Aiko answered her. "Because if you don't help someone who needs it, and then they don't help you when you need it, you can't be mad at them, and if they do help you when you didn't help them, that makes them better than you." Aiko paused and let this sink in.

"So what if no one helped me when my own father tried to kill me, if I leave people to suffer the way I suffered, then I'm no different than the people back home, and I'm not going to be like that." Aiko proclaimed.

Kaede was completely shocked by the simple answer, and cast her gaze down in shame. "...So...I'm just like them..." She mumbled to herself, causing Aiko to rethink her words.

"N-NO! uh, it's just...maybe _they_ weren't like them?" Aiko threw out, causing Kaede to look at her in confusion.

"Well, what if everyone who ignored our problems did so because they had problems of their own...or when they were our age no one helped them out either?" With Aiko's explanation, Kaede looked even worse, and Aiko could guess why.

"You hated them, I know, I did too, I felt like if they weren't going to do anything about my problems, they shouldn't even exist, that's why I'm doing this, so no one thinks that of me." Aiko declared.

That night would not be pleasent for Kaede.

She dreamt of a Faunus child coming from the woods and butchering her family, proclaiming that she had no right to live in peace while he suffered, this dream would be followed by the memories of when she herself had done the exact same thing to people who had never wronged her, she always believed that was because she never gave them the chance.

But worst by far was a dream of a silhouette of a woman that she knew to be Salem, enduring everything she did, and more.

The Super Saiyan Diclonius didn't rescue Salem, and Aiko was shot in front of her, she surrendered to Kurama in exchange for medical attention, but Aiko perished regardless, and because Aiko had killed her father in self defense, Kurama mistook her as a murderer and was shameless in her death.

Everything Kaede would've become, she saw as what Salem did become.

 _The Next Morning_

Aiko had finished tying her shoes and grabbed her staff, ready for another round of training, when Kaede approached her. "...I'm coming with you."

Aiko smiled at her. "You know that you don't have to, right?"

"I'm still not sure about putting my life on the line for others, but I've been on my own for too long, so if this Salem wants to take everything I hoped for, then I'll...stop her." Kaede proclaimed, correcting herself before she could give away her past self, a past she knew that she would have to use against Salem.

 _1 Month Later_

Aiko had put the basics behind her, twirling her sparring staff like she had owned it for years, it only took three strikes to disarm Kaede who held her hands up in surrender.

The two were drawn to the sound of slow clapping from Thogrom, who was approaching them along with Ingrid. "Excellent work girls, you are ready for the next stage of your training."

This caused the girls to look at each other in confusion, and then back to their father. "B-but Kaede still hasn't gotten the hang of staff fighting yet." Aiko stated.

"That won't be necessary, from now on Kaede will fight with this..." Thogrom started handing Kaede a much smaller training staff that was less than half the length of her old one. "...And her vectors."

This shut down Aiko's next complaint about Kaede having to work harder, and gave Kaede a complaint. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? She can't fight my vectors with a _staff_!"

To this Thogrom nodded to Ingrid who approached Aiko and knelt before her, placed their foreheads together, and spoke.

 _For it is the Harsh Winter that forges strength, and in solitude that we achieve enlightenment, and as you leave my cold solitude for warmer climates, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee._

From Ingrid's first word to her last, a bright blue glow enveloped Ingrid, spread to Aiko, before fading from Ingrid and growing darker, almost purple.

Ingrid stood up while Aiko and Kaede continued to gawk at the dark blue energy that surrounded Aiko.

"It's your Aura." Ingrid said, shocking the girls even further.

"Kaede will get hers after she helps Aiko unlock her Semblance." Thogrom added.

"Any further complaints?"

 _3 Months Later_

Winter was upon them, and Kaede was looking forward to her first real Christmas, but that didn't stop their training.

Aiko may not have unlocked her Semblance yet, but she didn't seem to need it, her Aura made her stronger, faster, and she could take ten lethal attacks from Kaede's vectors before her Aura reached the red zone.

Aiko was coming at Kaede as hard as ever in an unrelenting barrage, her speed and strength taxing Kaede's vectors more than gunfire, and her Aura also allowed her to anticipate Kaede's counterattacks in spite of her vectors being invisible to eyesight.

Kaede used a recently adopted tactic, letting one of Aiko's swings at her vectors go through to be blocked by Kaede's own practice staff, which she wielded like a sword and striking with her vectors simultaneously.

Aiko felt the attack coming at her and, with her enhanced strength, cleared Kaede's striking range in a single, backwards, leap.

Kaede decided to take advantage of the freshly fallen snow that surrounded them, flinging it at Aiko with all four vectors.

Kaede then struck her vectors to the ground with enough force to launch herself like a rocket towards Aiko.

Aiko threw up her staff as she felt Kaede's approach, Kaede positioned two vectors to block the attack and prepared to strike with the other two.

 _CRACK!!_

Kaede was sent flying with such force that she crashed through a tree and would've splattered against a bolder if she hadn't been using her vectors to absorb the impact, leaving four handprints imbedded in the bolder as she slid down wheezing.

"...aede...KAEDE!!" Aiko shouted as she ran up to her. "KAEDE ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?!?"

"...Uhhh..I think s- KYAA!!" Kaede tried to get up, but when she tried to move her arm, she cried in pain.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Ingrid cried out as she and Thogrom arrived.

"I DON'T KNOW! W-WE WERE JUST SPARRING LIKE NORMAL, AND THEN I STRUCK HER AND- SHE SHOULD'VE BLOCKED IT! I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!!" Aiko shouted hysterically.

"Calm down Aiko, it's all right, now, was anything different about this attack?" Ingrid asked as Thogrom saw to Kaede.

"Sh-she threw snow in my face, a LOT of snow, but that's it." Aiko explained, causing Ingrid to pause and think, before pointing to the bolder Kaede landed on.

"Aiko, could you try to lift this for me?" Ingrid asked, causing both girls to look at her like she was crazy.

"Uhh, I don't think my Aura gives me that kind of strength." Aiko said, taking two steps back.

"Your Aura might not, but I think your Semblance will." Ingrid smirked confidently, and suddenly the pieces fell into place.

"M-my Semblance..." Aiko echoed looking at her hands as though she expected to see some visible difference.

Ingrid and Kaede moved out of the way as Aiko approached the bolder and put her hands on it.

She placed her hands underneath the snow and wormed them beneath the bolder and started to lift with her legs grunting with the effort.

The bolder shifted only slightly, but enough to make Kaede believe that she was stronger than normal.

Suddenly, Ingrid aimed her staff at Aiko and shot her with Ice Dust, before Kaede could be shocked by this, Aiko flipped the bolder on reflex like a cheap coffee table, shattering the ice that imprisoned her in the process, before wrapping her arms around herself and staring at Ingrid with shock, confusion, and a hint of anger.

"I'm sorry dear, but it would appear that you've found your Semblance, enhanced strength based on your body temperature."

Aiko's anger melted away as she realized that she just flipped a giant bolder that weighed at least a ton. "I-I did it, I found my Semblance, ooohhhh..." Aiko looked at Kaede regretfully.

"Oh no no, Th-this is just Karma, I-I hurt someone when I unlocked my vectors too, I had it coming." Kaede said, rubbing the back of her head with her good arm, tip toeing around the details of how she _hurt_ people.

"Well, I'm sorry either way, but it helps to know that you don't hold it against me." Aiko said, smiling nervously and rubbing her arm that held her staff with her free hand.

"Absolutely not, if anything, I'm sorry that I won't be able to get you back for awhile." Kaede said, gesturing to her broken arm.

"Actually, you'll be sparring again sooner than you think." Thogrom said, causing Kaede to look at him, confused, until he knelt down and placed his forehead to hers.

 _For it is in the Darkness that Shadows cannot reach you, and as you now stand ready to put aside the Void's protection and face the Light, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee._

From his first word to his last, a pitch black energy emanated from Thogrom, passed on to Kaede, before fading from Thogrom and brightening to a light pink.

Kaede looked at the Aura on her hands until it faded from sight, shocked at how much stronger she felt, just from seeing it.

"Your arm should be healed up by morning, until then, I guess you'll have to learn how to eat with off hand for the night." Thogrom said as the family headed home for the evening.

 ** _Author's Note:_**

So, Aiko has her Semblance and Kaede has her Aura, and yes Kaede is getting a Semblance as vectors are a Diclonius thing just like how Faunus can see in the dark.

After seeing the third episode of Volume 6, I see a lot of Manga Lucy when I look at Salem, who else?

What did you all think of the speeches for awaking Aura, too cheesy, not cheesy enough, comment down below.

Speaking of comments, special shout out to Guest for dropping the first comment on this FanFic (if there are others, I apologize, the app's been getting screwy with me lately)

I'm keeping their main hands vague intentionally, because, as a lefty, tend to envision characters as left-handed and I wanted to give that freedom to my readers.

As I may have mentioned in my last story, I'm an action addict, however, if there's a popular demand for me to slow down and focus on Kaede and Aiko's family life before they go to Beacon, I suppose I can squeeze a Slice of Life chapter in, comment below and I'll see you next time.


	4. Welcome to Beacon

_**Chapter 4: Welcome to Beacon**_

 _6 Months Later_

The clash of wood against wood echoed around the sparring area, Kaede and Aiko had trained together to the point of knowing each tell for each other's techniques, the battle ended when their staves shattered into splinters.

The exhausted combatants took a moment to catch their breath and laugh at their battles outcome, and then they headed inside.

Kaede opened the door and found darkness within, the lights were out. "Uh, guys, are you in here?" Kaede asked as she fumbled for the light switch.

Finally finding it, Kaede switched on the light, revealing decorations leading to the living room where their parents awaited them with a hand baked strawberry cake.

Where Kaede was completely shocked, Aiko was all smiles. "Happy birthday."

Kaede turned to her friend with confusion in her eyes.

"...Well, technically it's _my_ birthday, but you never knew yours and you never celebrated it so, I decided to surprise you, gotcha didn't I?" Aiko lightly punched Kaede's shoulder as her confusion was gradually overtaken by joy.

They each turned 16 this day, and it was the best day of Kaede's life, the cake was delicious, the songs were festive, it was an all-around fun day, and then it was time for presents.

The girls didn't know what to expect, they didn't play with any toys and they didn't collect anything from TV shows or anything like that, but they were pleasantly surprised when they received combat equipment and rushed to their rooms to try it on immediately.

Aiko returned first, wearing a dark blue kimono dress with the Japanese kanji for 'winter' on the back as well as dark blue sandals that reminded her of Naruto and a collapsible Naginata that could become a staff or a short sword, while it lacked a gun mode, it held Dust crystal comparments throughout it's length, she was also still wearing her hat.

Kaede came down next, wearing black and pink combat boots, black long shorts and a black undershirt beneath a pink vest of plate mail armor with a hand print to represent her vectors, and gauntlets of the same color, at her side was a sheathed double edged sword that could become a trident or a sai on account of the bladed hilt guard and collapsible blade and handle, her sword also lacked a gun mode, but had a Dust crystal compartment in its handle.

"You both look incredible." Ingrid said.

"Make those weapons an extension of yourselves and you will never fear an enemy again." Thogrom said.

The rest of the night was spent in celebration, and then another year of keeping their skills refined came and went until finally, after years of training for this day, they were saying final goodbyes to their family.

"You're going to excel at Beacon." Ingrid said as she hugged Aiko.

"I know mom, I've come too far to fail." Aiko replied.

"You needn't fear the students of Beacon, if there are bullies among them, the faculty will straighten them out." Thogrom said, placing a reassuring hand on Kaede.

"Thanks Dad, I'll try not to kill anyone." Kaede joked and Thogrom smiled before hugging his daughter.

After the embrace ended, the pseudo siblings began their journey to Beacon.

Kaede was a tad excited at the concept of a Bullhead, she had never flown before and found it rather enjoyable.

The flying machine made a few extra stops picking up more passengers all around the same age, with one exception, a young girl wearing black and red clothes with dark hair and silver eyes, she seemed a little uncomfortable being here and Kaede wondered how someone that young made it into Beacon.

Kaede pondered asking the girl when she was suddenly taken into a bear hug by an older girl with blonde hair that was as long as Kaede's own but appeared to have never seen a brush before.

In the end, Kaede and Aiko just stood together and didn't talk with anyone until the ship landed, it was a long flight.

When they finally got to Beacon, the view was breathtaking, or at least it was until someone lost their lunch and ruined the moment.

The ship landed and everyone departed, some people took in the scenery, others reunited with friends that were one year ahead of them, but Kaede and Aiko and a few others hurried to the meeting arranged for new students.

It seemed like a good idea at the idea at the time, but as more students filed in, the girls quickly found themselves surrounded by other students, it wasn't long before a chatty red head started asking Kaede questions, too many to count.

Luckily, a boy in green clothes recognized the situation and detained his friend before Kaede could lose it, she and Aiko considered leaving when someone tapped on a microphone.

They turned to the stage and saw a sharply dressed man with grey hair standing at the microphone. "I'll...try to keep this brief..." He began.

"You have gathered here today in search of knowledge...when you have finished your training, you plan to use your skills to the benefit of the kingdoms..." He continued.

"...But I look around and all I see is wasted energy... you lack purpose, direction, you hope knowledge will alleviate this, but knowledge will only carry you so far... it's up to you to make that first step." He concluded, stepping away so a woman with pale blonde hair and bright green eyes could take the stage.

"You will gather in the Ballroom tonight, Tomorrow your initiation begins, be ready." And thus the meeting concluded.

Kaede and Aiko stored their equipment and found a corner for themselves, there was bit of drama on the other side of the room, but they ignored it and prepared for the trials to come.

 _ **Author's Note:**_

Sorry if this seems rushed, but I was sick the whole week and crushed this down in a day to meet my deadline (I try for every Saturday) but honestly, I was just tired of the buildup, next chapter will be the forming of teams, making this the last week to guess their teammates, one Disney character and two American warrior types rolled into one.

And no, I didn't forget Kaede's Semblance, it just comes later, but for now, everyone, including Kaede herself believe that her vectors are her Semblance.

Until then I'll catch you all next week.


	5. New Friends

_**Chapter 5: New Friends**_

Kaede and Aiko were the first on the platforms...but they weren't alone.

"Ah, you must be Takada sisters." Headmaster Ozpin said as they took their positions on the platforms that they realized were meant to catapult them into the waiting forest below.

"There's no reason to stand there for an hour, and it will be so long before everyone is ready." Ozpin pointed out, taking another sip from his coffee mug.

"Uh, with all due respect sir, we want to hold our spots." Kaede said, trying to avoid conversation.

"I'll keep your positions reserved, please." Ozpin pressed on until, feeling defeated, Kaede stepped off the platform followed by a less reluctant Aiko who stepped between the inquisitive Headmaster and her close friend who masqueraded as her sister.

"Greetings Headmaster Ozpin, I'm Aiko Takada and this is my sister, Kaede, we're grateful for your accepting us into your academy." Aiko said, bowing respectfully.

"My my, rather formal aren't you, I assure you that your capabilities have far more to do with you being here than my opinion of you." Ozpin replied, Kaede didn't quite believe that.

"Oh, of course, I apologize, it's just how I was raised." Aiko replied while rubbing the back of her head, two years in Remnant may have done away with Japanese suffixes, but the way she addresses her Sensei remain the same, old habits die hard.

"It's quite all right, and please, just call me Ozpin." The Headmaster smiled genuinely enough.

The two of them went back and forth for awhile, Kaede kept to herself, and every time someone looked to take their spots, the Headmaster dissuaded them.

50 minutes later, Ozpin's Right Hand, Glynda Goodwitch, informed Ozpin that it was time to begin and the girls took their places.

"...For years, you have trained to become warriors, today your abilities will be tested in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin began a speech to the assembled students.

"Now, I'm sure many of you had heard rumors regarding teams.." Miss Goodwitch took over.

"Well, allow me to end your confusion, each of you will be given teammates, Today." She continued before Ozpin took over.

"These teammates will be working with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well..." Kaede gulped at that, she knew it would be a team of four, and she hoped beyond hope that nothing would separate her from Aiko.

"...That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing shall be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin concluded, to several people exclaiming in shock, and while Kaede didn't join them verbally, she joined them in spirit.

"After you've partnered up, make your to the Northern end of the forest..." Ozpin continued.

"...You will meet opposition along the way, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you will die." At Ozpin's final words, Kaede felt something stir inside, the whisper of her other self, reveling in the coming slaughter, Kaede herself despised how she instinctively enjoyed such horrible things, but couldn't deny the fact that tearing living beings limb from bloody limb made her feel alive, and she guiltily missed it during her two years of training.

"Now, are there any questions?" Ozpin inquired, someone tried to ask something but Ozpin didn't seem to hear. "Good, now, take your positions."

If anything else happened, Kaede and Aiko were left out, as they were the first ones to be launched into the Emerald Forest by the catapulting platforms.

Kaede kept a close eye on where Aiko flew off and saw her release the ice Dust in her Naginata to activate her Semblance as she crashed into several trees, shattering them into saw dust.

Kaede waited until she was in reach of the treetops and grabbed them with her vectors, she grabbed a second tree across from her, halting her descent completely, and then started transitioning from treetop to treetop in Aiko's direction as fast as she could.

She could see the start of her crash line from her vantage point, when she heard someone scream "LOOK OUT!!"

She turned to the scream just in time for another student who had been launched into the forest to crash right into her, sending them both tumbling down to the ground below.

Kaede saw the ground rising fast to meet her and threw her vectors down to break her fall.

The attempt was successful...until the other student fell on her back.

The other student quickly scrambled off of the diclonius and grabbed her arm to pull her up. "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODIMSORRYSOSOSORRYITRIEDTOWARNYOUBUTITWASTOOLATEOHMYGODIMSOSORRY..." The student, a young boy with tan skin and short red hair and golden eyes apologized frantically, until Kaede cupped her hand over his mouth to silence him.

Kaede inhaled and exhaled, taking in her situation, before finally speaking. "It would appear...that we are teammates."

Kaede removed her hand, and the boy looked down shamefully, Kaede sized him up, he was shorter than her by half a foot, dressed in armor that looked like it could expand for some reason and had a symbol on the breastplate that looked like a roaring lion, weapons wise, he had golden gauntlets with twin gun barrels atop the wrists.

The boy looked up at her, no longer muttering apologies but still blushing in embarrassment. "I, uh guess we should look for the temple now, huh?"

Kaede pondered this for a moment. "...Not yet, I need to find my..sister first."

"Oh, okay, lead the way um... what's your name?" The boy asked.

"Kaede, and what's yours?"

"Simba."

 _Elsewhere_

Aiko twirled her Naginata over her head and cut down another Beowolf, taking a brief moment to curse her luck for landing right in the middle of a pack before impaling the next Grimm that charged her.

She pulled her weapon back and poised it to turn in any direction as the remaining seven Beowolves circled her, looking for an opportunity.

The largest of them, an alpha, roared and charged, Aiko turned to meet it, only for a second one to lunge at her back.

Aiko shrank her Naginata to a short sword and turned and beheaded the Grimm, but was too slow to meet the alpha, who knocked her weapon from her hand.

Aiko fell backwards to the ground, crawling away as the Grimm advanced, it was over, she was going to die on her first day, the only thing keeping her from feeling shame was the terror that constricted her as the alpha raised its claws.

It's attention was stolen by hoots and hollers of a...tribal nature.

Jumping from behind Aiko was another student dressed in black with two tomahawks who landed between the two and rolled into the alpha's guard with his weapons ready.

The newcomer slashed his axes across the beasts stomach and, as it recoiled, leapt to his feet from the kneeling position he landed in and brought his weapons down on the alpha's head.

Two gunshots erupted where the axes struck and the alpha fell dead, the pack surged.

Aiko rolled out of the way of an attacking Beowolf and reclaimed her weapon still in it's sword form, she elongated it and beheaded the Beowolf with an overhead spin.

The last four dog piled on the other student who fended them off with turning hacks and spin kicks, hooting all the while.

Two Beowolves died and two survived, backing off to escape death, or so they thought.

The student's tomahawks compacted into boxy revolvers and he aimed one each at the last two Beowolves, shooting them both in the head simultaneously.

He then turned to Aiko and, in one fluid motion, aimed a pistol and fired.

Aiko barely realized what just happened before she heard a thump behind her, a Beowolf she hadn't seen coming at her exposed back lied dead, a hole right between it's eyes.

The student twirled his pistols a few times before holstering them at his side, he then pulled up a hat that hung his neck and put it on his head.

His hat was pitch black, as was pretty much all of his clothes, he wore a vest and pants that looked like colored deer hide, but his boots and belt seemed less tribal but not quite modern.

"Howdy." He said, tipping his hat to Aiko. "Looks like you and me are partners now little lady, name's Oliver."

 _ **Author's Note:**_

And there it is, the Disney character is Simba, and the two American warrior types is Cowboys and Indians (figured that one would be obvious)

I'm a little disappointed that no one tried to guess, but maybe you'd all care to take a jab at what their team name would be?

You'll find out in a chapter or two, as well as see their Semblances in action, that's all I got for y'all this time, enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6: Emerald Trials

_**Chapter 6: Emerald Trials**_

Kaede surveyed the scene, she knew that Aiko had landed here and it would appear that she was attacked by Grimm, there was no blood, only claw marks in the grass where Beowolves had charged... and spent Dust bullets.

Kaede knew from this that someone else had fought here, which means Aiko probably had a teammate of her own, while she was grateful that someone had protected her, she couldn't help but worry that the likelihood of them being on the same team was dwindling fast, and she was so caught up in this that she didn't pay attention to much else.

"LOOK OUT!" Simba cried out, Kaede turned to see an Ursa charging at her.

She stood her ground and waited for the beast to get within two meters.

Just before it got within range of her vectors, Simba tackled the large, bear-shaped Grimm.

Kaede silently cursed her luck while she watched the boy's gauntleted fingers elongate into golden claws which he raked across the Ursa's shoulder.

The Ursa roared in rage and pain as it reared up on it's hind legs.

Seeing the opportunity, Simba lunged forward and stabbed both sets of claws into the Ursa with his wrists pointed up, he then lowered his stance so the wrist-mounted guns pointed at its head and unleashed a barrage of automatic fire.

Kaede titled her head a bit as she started to see Simba in a different light, he was still an amateur in combat, but he was braver than she thought he'd be.

She was violently torn from her thoughts when a second Ursa came at her from behind and struck her hard enough to send her flying.

She landed hard, her aura flickered dangerously, but held...for now.

Kaede was absolutely livid, not once but twice has she allowed herself to be taken off guard, she remembered that fateful day when she was sent to Remnant, Aiko had almost died because she was trying to sound tough instead of looking out for danger even when she was in the middle of a fight, it had always been her flaw, how easily she could be taken by surprise.

The Ursa charged at her, but once again it was tackled by Simba...or so she thought.

The Ursa was lifted into the air by a well built power house of a man that was over a foot taller than her with long, flowing hair and a full beard that was an inch from his face.

The second Ursa charged at the newcomer, who simply threw the other Ursa into it. "You two should really learn some manners, I guess that I'll have to teach you."

But before he could take a step towards the stunned Ursai, Kaede seized the opportunity and propelled herself forward with her vectors, upon closing the distance, she butchered the Ursai.

Kaede looked around for Simba, but he was nowhere to be found. "Well, I see the boy didn't need to help you after all."

Kaede whirled on the newcomer, believing that he had just insulted someone who tried to help her, people so rare that she could count them on her fingers, but then she noticed something.

The newcomer was dressed exactly like Simba and carried the same weapons, he even had same skin/hair/eye color. "Who are you?"

The newcomer crossed his arms and smirked. "I'm a different side of the same coin, you see, young Simba's Semblance allows him to become the person wants to be, both in mind and body, I am what he becomes when he wants to be heroic, he named me...Mufasa."

Kaede blinked in shock, Simba could do _that_. "...Oh..um, how long does it last?"

"Whenever Simba wants it to stop, however, it's come to the boy's attention that he has been embarrassing himself in front of you, and he believes that I would make a better partner for you." Mufasa explained.

Kaede didn't know how to feel about that, it is true that he didn't make the best first impression, but then he tried to save her, even though she could handle it on her own, so she felt that she could learn to like him.

"He shouldn't hide away from the world because of what other people think of him...but I'll admit that you could be more helpful in a fight, but I want Simba to return at least after we pass this test." Kaede said, earning a nod from Mufasa before they started looking for Aiko's trail.

 _Elsewhere_

Aiko and Oliver stepped into a clearing, within the center was the temple they were searching for...and no less than 16 Beowolves.

The wolves caught sight of the teens and charged, Aiko raised her staff...but Oliver lowered it. "I got this."

Oliver stepped forward, his hands on his pistols, Aiko didn't know how he thought he could take on that many Grimm by himself...until he drew.

The gunshots were fast that they sounded like a continuous buzz and each Beowolf hit the ground and disintegrated, killed by perfect headshots.

Aiko just stared at her teammate as he removed the 8 round drums of spent ammunition from his revolvers and replaced them with drums of fresh ammunition, it was faster than reloading individual bullets.

"Uhh..h-how did.." Aiko was completely lost for words.

"Don't be too impressed little lady, it was just my Semblance, I call it Dead Eye, lets me turn one second into ten." Oliver explained as he finished reloading, giving his guns a spin on his fingers before holstering them and turning to smirk at Aiko.

"And I can do a _lot_ of shootin in ten seconds." Oliver tipped his hat to her and proceeded to the temple, followed by a still impressed Aiko.

The two of them made it to the temple, only to find that the _relics_ that they were supposed to collect were actually chess pieces. "Huh, aren't we supposed to be looking for relics?" Aiko asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, I asked an upperclassman about it before we got started, apparently, if we bring one back, whoever brings the same one back is the other half of our team, difference is that last year, Ozpin used playing cards." Oliver explained.

"Oh...um, do you mind if we wait here, I was hoping to be on the same team as my sister." Aiko explained, grabbing both black pawns.

"No problem at all little lady." Oliver replied.

"And can you please just call me Aiko, you're only two inches taller than me." Aiko asked.

"Fair enough partner, Aiko it is, wake me when your sister shows up." Oliver said as he laid down with his back against a pillar and his hat down in front of his eyes.

 _Sometime Later_

"AIKO!!" Aiko turned to the sound of Kaede's voice and smiled at the sight of her coming out of woods.

"OVER HERE KAEDE!!" Aiko shouted back, jumping up and waving her arms, the diclonius ran to greet her followed by a large muscular man who looked too old to be a student.

The two friends shared a hug for a moment while the muscular man crossed his arms and leaned against the pillar opposite Oliver, who had woken up and straightened himself. "Howdy ma'am, you must be Kaede, the name's Oliver."

Kaede turned to the Native American Cowboy, and seemed to get disheartened. "Oh... you're Kaede's teammate."

Aiko realized what was wrong immediately. "Don't worry Kaede, all we have to do is take same chess piece back to Ozpin and we're on the same team." Aiko said, holding out the two black pawns.

Kaede was taken aback by this information, and only just noticed the chess pieces that surrounded them before looking back at Aiko with an expression that said 'Really?'. "Yeah, I know, but at least it's easy."

With that, Kaede shrugged and took one of the black pawns. "Okay Mufasa, we're good to go." Kaede called out to her teammate, who was chatting with Oliver at the time.

The two teams headed out, making their way back to Headmaster Ozpin, only pausing when a feminine scream echoed through the air. "What in tarnation was that?"

 _Moments Later_

The four students made their back up to the same slope that they had started on, awaiting them was Headmaster Ozpin and his assistant Glenda Goodwytch.

"Howdy boss, we passed the test." Oliver called out.

"Indeed, though it seems that I wasn't needed to do so." Mufasa added.

"Yes, it would appear that the greater challenges to be faced are being endured by others." Ozpin explained.

"But that is not important, you completed your objectives, that is what matters." Ozpin said, holding out his hand to receive the pawns from Kaede and Aiko.

"You're free to return to the academy and rest." Glenda stated while writing down which students retrieved which pieces.

"Thank you Miss Goodwytch, Headmaster." Kaede bowed to each of them respectfully, an action that was mirrored by Aiko and Mufasa, Oliver just tipped his hat.

Mufasa changed back into Simba as they made their way back to the academy, hanging his head low.

Kaede took notice and spoke up. "You don't need to impress me Simba, just do the right thing and get the job done, it doesn't need to be flashy...and I prefer guys like you over guys like Mufasa." That last bit made Simba blush a deep crimson and Kaede blushed as well when she heard Aiko gasp and Oliver snicker, she couldn't help it, he tried to help her, even if she didn't need it anymore, the thought is what mattered.

They made it inside the academy and returned to the meeting room, surprised to see that footage of the remaining students was being broadcasted on a large monitor and being watched by the upperclassman, all of whom wore the Beacon Academy dress uniform, and one of whom recognized Oliver and ran up to him.

"Hey there Oliver, that was nice shooting you showed off." The older girl complimented.

"Why thank you ma'am, and thanks for that tip about the relics, really helped these two out." Oliver replied, gesturing to Kaede and Aiko.

The older student walked up to Kaede and held her hand out, Kaede would've been hesitant, except the girl was a Faunus. "I'm Velvet, it's nice to meet another Faunus who isn't afraid of their heritage."

Kaede smiled at her first meeting with someone as abnormal as she was, if not more so, considering that Velvet's rabbit ears were over a foot long. "I'm Kaede, and likewise."

YO! VELVET! YOU MIGHT WANNA CHECK THIS OUT!!" A girl with sunglasses and a punk rock hairstyle called out.

Velvet and the others looked at the monitor to see 8 students fighting in teams of four against a Nevermore and a Deathstalker.

Kaede and her team took their seats just as a girl threw her shield at the Deathstalker's injured tail and severed it's stinger which then lodged itself into a crack in the giant scorpion's carapace.

"NORA! NAIL IT!!" Shouted the apparent team leader who Kaede and Aiko shockingly recognized as the kid who threw up on the flight here.

Nora, a red head clothed in pink, jumped on top of the shield girl's recovered shield with a large hammer in her hands.

Kaede's jaw dropped when the shield girl tossed Nora at least 20 feet into the air, and she came down hard, slamming her hammer into the stinger and driving it through the Deathstalker while simultaneously causing the ground beneath them to crumble and fall off a cliff, the entire team making it to safety as the Deathstalker fell, disintegrating before it hit the bottom.

"YEE-HAW!!" Oliver shouted, taking off his hat and hooting and hollering while other students cheered in their own ways.

With the Deathstalker down, and the team that defeated it too exhausted to help their allies, it came down to four girls colored in red, white, black, and yellow against the Nevermore.

The first to engage was the girl in yellow who stood atop a tall tower and antagonized the giant raven to attack her before, to the shock of all, jumping into it's mouth.

Everyone rose to the edge of their seat at the sight, until they realized that the student had planted her feet on it's bottom jaw and held open it's upper jaw while the wristband on her right arm expanded into a large fingerless gauntlet with a shotgun attachment that she used to fire flame Dust down the monster's throat, causing it to crash into a mountainside where the girl in white used ice Dust to trap it by it's tail.

After these two disengaged, the student in black threw out some sort of ribbon that the student in yellow caught and held tight, allowing the red student to use it as a slingshot with assistance from the white student's Semblance.

After a brief conversation that they couldn't hear, the red student was launched at the Nevermore, the white student used her Semblance to somehow allow the red student to run up the mountain, the blade of her long scythe cutting into the Nevermore's neck and actually dragging the large bird up the cliff wall with her.

When she reached the top of the mountain, her scythe cut the Nevermore's head off, resulting in an explosion of cheers.

Kaede was stunned speechless, the girl in red was younger than her by two years, and yet her completion of the test was a _lot_ more impressive, Kaede had no doubt that this girl was the hero of the story who would defeat Salem.

 _Half an Hour Later_

After they had eaten and rested, the newly formed teams were called up to sit at the side of the stage that Ozpin stood upon. "As we begin another year at Beacon Academy, we welcome our newest students, give respect to those who tried, and mourn those who fell...of the 60 initiates who tested their resolve today, 52 succeeded, 6 failed and, tragically, two of this years initiates died in the Emerald Forest..."

There were mumbles of sympathy from the graduates and the upperclassmen alike, and from the corner of her vision, Kaede saw Oliver remove his hat and place it over his heart.

"...Yes, the fight against the forces of darkness will always take it's toll, if there are any among you who cannot bear the thought of facing such death, this is your only chance to bow out and return home, no one will think less of you..." Ozpin paused and allow the three teams that lost their nerve to excuse themselves, many other students shook their heads, saddened but understanding, while one team in particular, led by a large boy with red hair, was laughing at them, Kaede made a mental note of the scum.

"There is no shame in knowing your limit..." Ozpin said to them as they were escorted to the waiting airship that would take them home.

"...Where there time at Beacon has ended, yours has only just begun..." Ozpin said to the remaining initiates. "When I call your names, please step forward...Kaede Takada, Aiko Takada, Oliver Miccmacc, and Simba Pride..."

Kaede and her new team stepped forward as the monitor that showed the epic battle earlier displayed their names, standing side by side, as Ozpin continued. "...For retrieving the black pawn pieces, you shall hence forth be known as..." Their names on the monitor then dissappeared except for the first letter in each name. "Team KAOS." Ozpin concluded, saying the name as 'chaos', while the other studentd applauded, it was the first time a large group of people had applauded Kaede. "Led by...Kaede Takada."

Kaede stopped staring at the applauding crowd and stared, dumbfounded, at Ozpin. "L-led by?"

"Congratulations young lady." Ozpin stated as Aiko wrapped her arms around her and Oliver patted her back and Simba promised not to let her down.

Team KAOS took their seats as the rest of the initiates were given team names one by one, but only one caught Kaede's attention.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long." As Ozpin called out their names, the girls who defeated the Nevermore made their way to the stage. "For retrieving the white knight pieces, you shall be known as..." Their names disappeared, leaving only the first letter of each name. "Team RWBY." Ozpin said, pronouncing it as 'ruby'. "Led by...Ruby Rose."

The younger girl was just as surprised as Kaede had been, Yang hugged Ruby while Blake looked indifferent and Weiss looked jealous.

This all but confirmed it for Kaede, Ruby Rose was the destined hero, she could have the glory, Kaede would play it safe and let Ruby spear head the defeat of Salem, but if the young girl fell, Kaede would reluctantly keep her new home safe the only way she knew how, by killing everyone who could endanger it.

"It seems things are shaping up to be an interesting year at Beacon." Ozpin said in closing, having no idea how right he was.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ Don't worry y'all, I'm not planning on the whole thing being devoid of bigger action sequences, but team KAOS will be laying low until Kaede loses faith in Ruby, which will be after the Fall of Beacon, until then, it will mostly be drama and comedy from Simba and Oliver.

If any of you are getting impatient about Kaede's Semblance, don't worry, it's coming up next.

Oliver's last name comes from the Miccmacc tribe of Native Americans, I actually have Miccmacc blood in my vains .

I am also posting an unrelated one-shot at the same time I'm posting this, it's a crossover of My Little Pony and Warhammer 40,000 titled Daemon World Equestria, and yes, it pretty much says what it's about.

Welp, that's all I got, see you all next time.


	7. Suspension

I have no excuses... I simply hit a bad case of Writer's Block, I don't know where I wanna go from here, but while I was trying to find the next chapter for this story, I ended up finding the next chapter of a story that I suspended almost a year ago.

So while I am sad to say that Kaede's Redemption is being put on the shelf at the moment, I am proud to say that Monster or Mutant is back on weekly chapters...and please note that suspension is the limit, this is not the last post I'm putting on this story, I will be back.

Until Then...


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